


The Nature of Fire: Paralogues

by ShinjiShazaki



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, Gen, because I love my fledgling OCs and folks have said they like them too, plus all the fun things I can write with the Black Eagles in a drabble collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-01-06 04:35:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21220667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShinjiShazaki/pseuds/ShinjiShazaki
Summary: In-between moments: chances to see the embers amidst a greater flame.Or, tales of fledglings and eagles that would otherwise go untold.(Companion pieces to The Nature of Fire series)





	1. on chance, missed meetings

**Author's Note:**

> Four views, one day: the fledglings' first day in Enbarr.

Lenci von Tibor knew no one in Enbarr when she first arrived, staying in a single room in the women’s section of the dormitory like all the other students testing into the academy.

“This’ll be your room if you get accepted,” the hall matron had told her. “You can go ahead and get comfortable—testing won’t start until tomorrow and it’ll last the rest of the week.”

She had tried, that night, to settle in her new bed. It wasn’t uncomfortable, instead as soft and comfortable as her bed back home. Everything, from the room around her to the very scent of the air in Enbarr, was simply too unfamiliar to let her settle to sleep. After a long while of tossing and turning, she got out of bed and went to her window to sit and look outside. Though her intent was to stargaze, her eyes were drawn to the lone person standing in the courtyard between the men and women’s halls.

On the first floor as she was, Lenci was able to see the person was a young women close to her age with short brown hair. She wore loose trousers and a sleeveless shirt suitable for sleeping in, but there was a wooden training sword in her restless hands. She went through sword stances and forms slowly and silently, moving with such grace that Lenci could not help but watch in fascination. As time passed, tension left Lenci entirely. She did not call out to the woman, instead going to her desk to retrieve the heavy spell tome she’d snuck out of her family’s library when she left.

She took the book to bed with her, laying on her stomach to read by moonlight. The spells were soothing, and she thought of how they might be used over the next week. When she started to drift off, she put the book beside her pillow and settled again. Before she closed her eyes, she heard the door to the room on her right side open and close. She smiled, settled more firmly, and fell asleep.

————

Maxsim Stesha knew no one in Enbarr when he first arrived, and he immediately left his room in the men’s dormitory to wander the campus. Every person he passed was given a broad smile, even those who barely bothered to hide their sneers at his rough-spun tunic and trousers. It could not dampen his spirits as he found the dining hall, and he gave the staff his best smile to earn a few large sweet rolls before lunch.

He remained in the dining hall until them, watching people wander in when the midday chimes went off in the academy’s clocktower. He picked up on their chatter as people sat near him, listening to them introduce themselves and speak of hopes and homesickness.

“What about you?” a young woman asked. “What’s your name?”

“Maxsim Stesha,” he said, reaching across the table to offer his hand. “I’m here from Bergliez.”

“That’s not too far,” the young man next to her said. “I heard there are people from as far as the Brionic Plateau here.”

“Better hope they test in,” Maxsim chuckled. “That’s a hell of a walk of shame back.”

“Think you’ll get in that easy?”

“I’m not saying it’s easy,” said Maxsim, “but I _will_ say I’ll test into the top five spots of all of us.”

At once, their expressions changed, as did the expressions of those within earshot. A mix of pity and disdain was in their faces then, all of which Maxsim smiled and shrugged at. For a moment, he saw another young man with a thin beard look at him from another table. There was no disdain there, only mild curiosity. Then, he turned away and Maxsim was left to his meal. He ate heartily and went back to his room to study in between sets of push-ups and sit-ups. When he went to bed after dinner, there was still a smile on his face.

————

Henryk von Marcin knew no one in Enbarr when he first arrived, but he had learned several people’s names by dinner. He repeated their names in his head every time they spoke, nodding along to conversations until a topic of interest came up.

“I heard the emperor’s master tactician is going to be a professor this year,” a young woman named Ceara said. “The woman who helped her kill the Immaculate One.”

“Imagine getting assigned to _her_ class,” a young man named Gustav said. “I heard she taught all of the Black Eagle Strike Force.”

“That’d be the most worthwhile class to join,” Henryk said. “They’ll probably assign whoever tests the highest to her. The top ten, maybe.”

“Think she’d have enough time to teach ten if she’s helping her majesty?” asked Gustav.

“Top five, then.”

“Which that bull thinks he’ll get into,” Ceara grumbled, pointing over her shoulder.

Henryk turned, seeing the blond man he’d spotted at lunch leading the conversation at another table. He smiled and said, “We’ll see. _My_ intention is the top five, and I’m fairly certain I can manage it.”

“Pretty sure of yourself, Marcin,” Gustav said with an unpleasant smile.

“That I am,” Henryk replied, and he stood up to take his leftovers to the staff to wrap up. He headed for the dormitory, pausing when he reached the courtyard. A young woman with curly black hair sat on one of the benches, reading a thick spell tome as she picked at a sandwich in her lap. She looked up at him, smiled, and gave him a small wave. He returned it before heading to his room, smiling as he began to study.

————

Anahid Vartan knew no one in Enbarr when she first arrived, and she did not bother trying to make friends the first day. She stayed in her room to study, only leaving for lunch and dinner. She ate slowly, head slightly bowed, and listened to the conversations around her. She heard the others speak of where people were from and how they hoped to rank high in the testing in the next three days. She heard tell of the professors and who all the students hoped to be placed with.

“What about you?” one young man asked at dinner. “Who do you want to study under?”

“Professor Eisner,” Anahid said simply.

“She’s the popular choice,” another young man said. “Probably just going to have noble kids assigned to her.”

“I’m sure she’ll teach whoever tests highest,” Anahid said. She stood up, saying, “Which is why I’ll be going back to my room now.”

“Good luck,” one of the men said, good nature in his voice.

“You too,” she replied, and she left without another word.

In her room, she read and reread passages out of the tactics books she’d brought with her. She paced as she read in an attempt to burn off the nervous energy in her limbs, but it would not abate. Well after dark, she sighed, put her book down, and took her battered wooden training sword outside.

Forcing herself to go through her sword forms slowly in the courtyard burned the energy well enough to calm her nerves, and the chill of the night air tempered any heat she built up. At one point, she noticed the young woman at the window of the room next to hers, but she did not meet her curious gaze. She focused on her movements, and when she was done, the woman was no longer there.

Anahid went to bed, calm as the breeze that came in through her window, and went to sleep without knowing anyone else’s name.


	2. as sudden as lightning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A realization and its fallout: the start of a pair.

They were fairly silent when the professor released them for lunch that first day, looking away from each other even as they got food and found a table to sit together. However, Maxsim broke the ice at once when they’d sat down by looking Anahid dead in the face and saying, “Sorry.”

“What?” Anahid said.

“About your nose,” he replied. “I know I said I was sorry before and I know you said it was okay, but I’m going to say it one more time because I really didn’t mean to bust your nose as badly as that.”

Anahid looked at him blankly. She smiled slightly and said, “Thanks. You don’t have to apologize again. I know it wasn’t on purpose.”

“Okay, good,” he said, offering a hand across the table. When she took it to shake, he grinned and shook firmly. Letting go, he asked, “So you’re the person from the plateau I heard about?”

“The only one, as far as I’ve heard,” she replied, picking up her fork to gather up some noodles and red sauce. “No one really wants to make that trip.”

“You did, obviously,” Henryk said. “But it’s not all really forests and wastes and wilds up there, is it?”

“Mostly forests,” Anahid replied. “At least where I lived. Enbarr’s a nice change.”

“I have to admit I’m rather excited to live in a city now,” Henryk said. “My family’s home is close to one in Boramas and it was always interesting to visit it.”

“My parents hated taking us to anything bigger than the closest town,” Maxsim laughed. “I’ve got six younger brothers and sisters and even _I_ couldn’t wrangle them in from running around all the markets. Practically had to put my littlest brother on a leash.”

“And your family let you come here just like that?” Lenci asked. “I had to wait for my brothers to turn ten before my parents even let me ask.”

“We argued a little, but the little ones promised to behave when I told them what I wanted to do,” he said with a grin.

“I wish my brothers would’ve promised that,” Lenci sighed. “Maybe it would’ve helped my argument and I wouldn’t have had to wait.”

“Wait, how old are you?” Maxsim asked.

“Almost nineteen.”

He grimaced and said, “I feel you. Just turned eighteen, wanted to come sooner.” He looked at Henryk and Anahid expectantly.

“I’m,” Henryk started, but he sighed. “Vartan, I swear, if you make me the baby of the group—”

“I’m going to, so you might as well say it.”

“I’m turning eighteen next month,” he grumbled. “How old are you?”

“Twenty,” she said quietly.

They all stared at her.

“Almost twenty-one.”

Maxsim and Henryk reeled as Lenci’s brows rose. Hesitantly, she said, “Why haven’t you enrolled until now?”

“Couldn’t get my mother to agree,” Anahid said, toying with her food. “And it took me a while to save up money to just…come on my own.”

For a few moments, they were all silent. Then, Maxsim blurted, “Your mother sounds like an asshole.”

“_Maxsim_!” Lenci and Henryk gasped, but Anahid choked on laughter and put her head on the table to muffle herself. She shook where she sat, taking a solid minute to calm down and lift her head. When she did, there was a small, weary smile on her face.

“You could say that,” she admitted. “It’s all right.” Despite it, she said, “We should eat. We’ll have to get back to class soon enough.”

Maxsim nodded, barely needing the prompt to start shoveling food into his mouth. Henryk and Lenci glanced at each other, but began to eat all the same. Lenci, sitting next to Anahid, could not help but to look at her from the corner of her eye every so often. There was no tension in her face, only the same weariness that had been there after her broken nose had been healed.

When they sat down to dinner later in the day, Lenci sat next to Anahid again. She listened to her as they all discussed the day’s points on authority and how they might apply it sooner than later. She looked at Anahid out of the corner of her eye, seeing how she still looked so weary despite having a small smile on her face.

The sun was setting when they headed back to the dormitory, Henryk and Maxsim going to the men’s dorms while Anahid and Lenci went to the women’s. As they walked, Lenci kept her eyes on the ground, uncertainty tying her tongue in a knot.

“Oh,” Anahid said as Lenci stopped at her room. “That was you?”

“What?” Lenci asked, finally looking up.

“I saw someone looking at me while I was practicing the night before the entrance exam,” Anahid said. She smiled slightly, pointing at Lenci’s window. “That was you?”

Lenci had fully expected to blush at the question. She did not expect to feel her entire face and both ears burn painfully. Fumbling words until she cleared her throat, she said, “It was. I’m sorry—it feels like I was spying on you, now.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” Anahid said, and her smile was stronger and warmer than before. “You should be able to look out your window at night. I was the one doing something strange.”

“No—no, you were fine!” Lenci said. “You looked—your _forms_ looked good!”

“Thank you,” Anahid said. “It’s usually the only way I can calm down.”

“What about talking to someone?” When Anahid looked at her blankly, she cleared her throat again and said, “Our rooms are right next to each other. We could…talk to each other.”

Anahid thought. There was still a trace of bruising around her eyes from her broken nose and Lenci was seized with the urge to pull on her hands to make her lean down to be able to heal it. She stomped down on it as hard as she could, face still burning hot.

“All right,” said Anahid.

“R-really?”

“Sure. Maybe not tonight, since you look exhausted.” She touched the bridge of her nose, saying, “That’s kind of my fault, making you heal a stupid injury like this.”

“It wasn’t stupid,” Lenci protested. “You heard the professor, training accidents happen. And I need to improve my magic if you’ve still got bruises like you do.”

“I do?”

“You do,” she said, starting to lift a hand. “Here, I can—”

Anahid caught her hand gently, thumb in the center of her palm, and brought it back down.

“Lenci,” she murmured, “you don’t have to make it perfect. You’re going to make yourself too tired for tomorrow if you push your magic too far.”

It was a wholly unfamiliar thing, her hand being held in such a way. Lenci did not look at their hands in the hope that Anahid would not let go. She hesitated, holding still, and then nodded.

“But let me check on you in the morning,” she said. “I should have enough magic to heal the bruises by then.”

“All right,” Anahid said, letting her hand go. “Let’s get to sleep, Lenci. I don’t think the professor will go easy on us tomorrow just because I was an idiot.”

“You _weren’t_,” Lenci started, but she sighed. “Anahid, please don’t call yourself an idiot. It really was an accident. The professor wasn’t angry.”

“Not a good first impression on the emperor, though,” Anahid muttered.

“I’m sure she saw her share of training accidents when she and the professor were at Garreg Mach.” Throat tight, she reached out to take Anahid’s hand again. “We’ve had one day of classes. We’ll do better. Please don’t be discouraged.”

Anahid looked at her. She considered their hands, eventually tapping Lenci’s wrist with her thumb. Quietly, she said, “Thank you, Lenci.”

Lenci smiled, finally not minding how badly her face burned. She let go of Anahid’s hand and said, “Sleep well, Anahid. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“You too, Lenci,” Anahid replied, and she bowed slightly before heading into her room.

Lenci went into her room, closing and locking the door behind her. She changed into her pajamas, got into bed, and looked at the wall between their rooms. There was nothing to be heard as the night deepened, and Lenci dwelled on the warmth of Anahid’s hand as she fell asleep.

————

It happened a week later, just two days before the professor and emperor’s ball. Lenci turned to look at Anahid as she stood and spoke about her proposed strategy for the combat scenario the professor had given them. The figure Anahid made, standing straight and tall, well-rested and bright-eyed, froze Lenci where she sat. She could not keep herself from examining the line of Anahid’s jaw as she spoke, from looking at her hair and eyes and how her hands moved as she gestured.

“_She’s so pretty,_” she thought. “_I wish I could kiss her._” When she considered her thoughts again, baffled panic instantly consumed her and she turned away from Anahid immediately.

It wasn’t as though she’d never seen women together. There were several women she knew were married to each other in her home city and the towns throughout Fódlan’s Fangs. Still, none of them had been in noble houses and the only discussion her family had had about any marriages in her future were to male noble heirs. It was not something she considered for herself and her future, despite not having any real interest in any boy or man she saw growing up.

Seeing the easy, endless adoration between the professor and the emperor that first day of classes had made something fall into her stomach. Part of her had wanted to look away out of propriety; it was too intimate for someone of her rank to see. The rest of her couldn’t help but look at them with admiration tied together with envy, but she managed to come away with more of the former when the emperor left. Then, looking at Anahid, all of the envy came rushing back and double what it had been before.

Lenci sat in silence for the rest of the lecture, wholly overwhelmed whenever she glanced at Anahid, and stared at the table during lunch. She was able to avoid joining the conversation simply because Maxsim and Anahid dominated it with a heated back and forth over speed versus strength, but Henryk caught her trying and failing to not glance at Anahid regularly.

“Lenci,” he said quietly as they left the dining hall, tapping her shoulder. He waited for Anahid and Maxsim to gain some distance on them, still going back and forth with each other, before starting to walk with her. “Is something wrong? I’ve never seen you look at Vartan like that.”

“I like her,” Lenci said before she could stop herself. She stared, horror building in her, as Henryk looked at her with raised brows and wide eyes.

“Well, I kind of guessed that with _how_ you were looking at her in class,” he eventually said. “But you sound upset over it. She didn’t reject you, did she?”

“I haven’t said anything,” Lenci said, feeling a blush creep across her face. “Henryk—I don’t—how do I—oh _goddess_, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“Tell her, for one,” he said simply. “I mean, you might need to tell her as plainly as that for her to actually hear you. And tell her a few times.” He gestured toward Anahid and Maxsim, saying, “I’m expecting them to walk into someone, honestly.”

“I’ve never told anyone I _like_ them,” she protested. “How do I say that?”

“Is ‘I like you’ not all right?”

“It,” Lenci said, but she stopped. She thought. After a moment, she said, “I…suppose it would be.”

“I don’t know if I can get them to stop arguing for you to be able to talk to her during practical,” Henryk said. “But…maybe wait to talk to her. They’re starting to get a bit riled up and the professor’s probably going to work them until they’re too tired to cause trouble at the ball.”

Lenci looked toward Anahid and Maxsim, seeing the strain in their faces as they struggled to keep their voices down. She sighed and said, “You’re right. Maybe I’ll talk to her after dinner.”

He patted her shoulder, the two of them following Anahid and Maxsim into the classroom. The professor took one look at all of them, raised a brow, and directed them to the training hall. Where Lenci and Henryk were given direct lessons in the sword and spellcasting, Anahid and Maxsim were sent to run laps and sprints around the hall. Lenci was given no time to try to watch Anahid run, focus fully needed to block the professor’s spells and avoid her training sword.

By the time the last bells of the day chimed, Anahid and Maxsim were both too exhausted to speak, much less argue. They sat through dinner far more amiably, leaving most of the conversation about the upcoming ball to Lenci and Henryk. Both of them went for seconds, though Maxsim powered through a third serving before the end of dinner.

“You have a bottomless pit for a stomach, Stesha,” Anahid sighed, taking to her feet. “I’m going to bed.”

“Anahid,” Lenci said.

“Hmm?”

“We all need to go out tomorrow to be fitted for clothes for the ball. Professor Eisner told Henryk and I to tell you and Maxsim.”

“Oh.” She thought. “Why don’t we meet at the academy gates at about nine o’clock?”

“Can’t it be later?” Maxsim groaned. “My legs are dying.”

“If you don’t want your clothes to be done in time, you can go later.”

“Point taken,” he sighed. “Okay, at nine.”

Anahid nodded, starting to turn. She paused when Lenci stood as well, making space for Lenci to walk beside her as they left the dining hall. They walked in silence, the noise of the hall fading behind them. Lenci watched Anahid out of the corner of her eye, seeing her walking steadily and without shuffling.

“I’m surprised you’re not more tired,” she said as they approached the dorms. “Did dinner help that much?”

“It did,” Anahid replied. “I’m used to running.” She laughed through her nose. “I’d run for miles at a time when I was young.”

“You’re not _old_, Ana.”

“’Ana’?”

She went utterly crimson. She looked at Anahid as they came to a stop in front of their rooms, stammering with Anahid’s eyes on her.

“I didn’t,” she said, “I didn’t mean to insult you.”

“You didn’t,” Anahid replied. “I’ve just never had someone give me a nickname.” She thought, and then said, “It’s fine if you call me ‘Ana.’ You need to let me get used to it, though.”

“O-oh. Of course I will.” She let out a faint, nervous laugh, and said, “I would say you could give me a nickname, but my name’s not really suited for one.”

“No, but it’s a nice name.”

“Oh. Thank…thank you, Ana.”

“You’re welcome, Lenci,” Anahid said. She bowed to her slightly, saying, “Thank you for walking with me. Have a good night.”

“Good night, Ana,” Lenci said, unable to keep her from going into her room. Holding down a massive sigh, she went straight to bed and kept her back turned to their shared wall.

The day began with them eating breakfast separately, waking at different times, but heading into the city together. It seemed the first time Lenci had see anyone in their casual clothes. Where she and Henryk wore cotton and some silk, Maxsim’s tunic and trousers were rough spun, starkly contrasting. Anahid’s clothes were slightly tidier, trousers and shirt and unbuttoned waistcoat, but their rough quality still stood out as they walked.

The tailor was busy with many orders for the ball, assistants shuffling them through lines and pinnings and providing order slips for formal uniforms them to bring back the next afternoon. They were all but shoved out of the shop within an hour of arriving, looking at each other with confusion in different measures on their faces.

“I can hold the slips for us,” Anahid said, holding out her hand. “I’ll take them back with me.”

“‘Take them back’?” Henryk said. “It’s our first rest day where we can go to the city and you’re _not_ going to stay out here?”

“It’s not like I have much spare money to use.”

“Oh, come on, get the stick out of your ass and stay out with us,” Maxsim said.

Anahid raised a brow at him.

“Ana,” Lenci said, “please stay? It’s not like we need to buy anything—we can just have fun.”

Anahid hesitated. She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck, and said, “All right.” She grimaced when Maxsim slung an arm around her neck and led her off with a mighty laugh. Lenci and Henryk bit down their own laughter as they followed after them, Lenci falling into step on Anahid’s left side when she struggled free of Maxsim’s arm.

They spent the day together, wandering the streets and taking in the sights and sounds. Where Lenci, Henryk, and Maxsim spent pocket money on little trinkets to send home as souvenirs, Anahid only glanced at things. She looked at things closest at the largest bookstore they stopped at, but still bought nothing, going outside at a certain point. Lenci sighed, watching her leave as Maxsim came up beside her.

“You should buy her that one,” he said, pointing at a book.

“I’m worried she’ll be offended if I do,” Lenci sighed, taking the book in hand. “I don’t want her to think I’m taking pity on her.”

“Make it a present,” he said. “You like her, right?”

Lenci turned to stare at him, feeling a new blush rising on her face. She asked, “Did Henryk tell you this?”

He snorted with laughter. “Okay, only Vartan is brick-stupid enough to not realize you’ve been making doe eyes at her. I stood there watching you two talking about _romance_ books for five minutes and it was kind of painful that she just didn’t get it.”

“Oh, goddess help me,” Lenci sighed, rubbing her eyes.

“Seriously, buy her the book and make it a present. I think she’d like it.”

Lenci looked at the book, turning it over in her hands. She glanced toward the door, took a deep breath, and headed to the shopkeeper to pay for the book. Though she meant to head outside, Henryk and Maxsim stopped her and pulled her back from the door.

“Are you actually going to tell her how you feel when you give her that?” Henryk asked.

Lenci stared at them both. She said, “I—I don’t know.”

“You should tell her,” Maxsim said.

“Why are you two pushing me so much on this?” Lenci asked, feeling her ears sting.

“Because you look really upset and it makes me want to smack Vartan in the back of the head for not noticing, for one,” Maxsim said. “For two, because you’d probably both be happy and even Vartan should get to smile every so often.” He thought, and then snapped his fingers. “Here’s a strategy for you. Get her to dance with you at the ball and tell her you like her.”

Lenci and Henryk looked at him. They looked at each other, and Lenci then looked down as she thought. After a long while, she said, “I could do that.”

“We can keep other people from trying to get a dance from you two,” Henryk said. “Honestly, I want to see Vartan _try_ to dance with that stick up her backside.”

“You two are awful,” Lenci grumbled, moving to push them toward the door. When they did not budge, she sighed heavily. “I promise I’ll ask her to dance. Can we please go? She’s going to be confused why we’re not coming out.”

“Good point,” Maxsim said, and he and Henryk followed her out of the bookstore. Anahid stood waiting, and when she turned to look at them Lenci hid the book behind her back. She heard Maxsim and Henryk sigh quietly and fought down the urge to kick their ankles. Anahid looked at her curiously, but grunted when Maxsim put an arm around her neck again and started off.

“One treat before dinner!” was his laughed reply to Anahid’s grumbling, and Lenci and Henryk followed after them. They found a patisserie selling sweet buns, all of them buying some on Anahid’s suggestion.

“How can _all_ of you not tried these?” Anahid asked as they started toward the academy, pastries in hand.

“My family only ever has saghert and cream,” Lenci protested.

“Peach sorbet for my family,” Henryk added.

“I just don’t have sweets,” Maxsim replied. When they all stared at him, he said, “What? I don’t have a sweet tooth.”

“Just _try_ them,” Anahid sighed. “They’re good.” She stared, slight horror in her eyes, when Maxsim crammed the bun into his mouth whole. She sighed when Henryk ate his bun in two bites without comment, looking at Lenci with a small measure of concern. Lenci, in turn, ate far more slowly.

“I like it,” she said. “It’s not nearly as sweet as saghert and cream. Thank you for recommending it.”

Anahid smiled slightly, finally eating her own. They returned to the academy soon after, and Lenci hid the book in one of her desk’s drawers. It remained there the entire next day, staying where it was when they went to pick up their dress clothes before the ball. They returned briefly to the dorms to change, Lenci staring because Anahid went into her room with a frown on her face. She came back outside first, leaning against her door to wait. When she heard Anahid’s door open, she straightened up.

“I _hate_ formal clothes,” Anahid muttered, closing her door firmly behind her. “Dressing up to look _pretty_ and _proper_ for the _right_ people.”

Lenci looked at her, seeing her fiddling with the buttons on her cuffs and her high collar. It made her fidget before she said, “Well…I think you look very good in formalwear.”

Anahid’s mouth twisted, but there was no bitterness in her voice when she said, “Thank you, Lenci.” She looked at her then, considering her clothes. When her gaze lingered, it made Lenci fidget again.

“What?” she said.

“Nothing. We should get going before Stesha comes and drags me along by the neck for the hundredth time.”

Lenci nodded, the two of them heading for the men’s dormitory to find Maxsim and Henryk. They went to the palace together as the sun crept toward the horizon, guards letting them pass without question after Anahid showed them their invitations from the professor. Though Lenci, Maxsim, and Henryk found themselves hesitating at the sight of officers, older students, and nobles and commoners dressed in grand finery, Anahid kept moving forward without breaking stride. They followed her gladly, getting into the main hall without being separated from each other.

“Goddess, is this what you nobles do normally at parties?” Maxsim asked, all of them staring out into the hall at the dozens of people milling about.

“Not like this at all,” Henryk said, scratching his chin. He fidgeted and mumbled, “I should’ve shaved.”

“Your beard is fine,” Anahid said. “Better than the man in gray a few people in front of us.”

They looked at her direction, eventually seeing a portly man with a scraggly, twisted bit of beard standing and chatting to another student from the third year. Maxsim crammed his fist in his mouth and turned away to hide his laughter, Henryk managing to keep himself to a single snort. Lenci turned to look at Anahid, biting the inside of her cheek, and almost burst into giggles outright when Anahid winked at her.

They milled about for a time, staying close together as they talked to guests and spoke of their relation to the professor and how they wished her and the emperor well. When the emperor and the professor were announced, they quickly moved to the edge of the dance floor to avoid attention.

“They’re both beautiful,” Lenci said quietly.

“What?” Anahid said, leaning down slightly to hear her past the music.

“Professor Eisner and her majesty,” she said, gesturing toward the stairs as the professor and the emperor descended down them. “They’re both beautiful tonight.”

“They are,” Anahid said mildly. “They look very happy.”

“You’re not?”

“I’m happy enough. I get to spend some time with you outside of class.”

Lenci froze. She looked at Anahid, saw how she was looking at the steadily filling dance floor without much focus. She did not bother looking at Maxsim or Henryk before she took hold of Anahid’s hand and pulled her onto the dance floor.

“Lenci, _what_—”

Lenci arranged their hands, bringing one of Anahid’s hands to her waist and holding the other. Brows raised, hands trembling, she said, “Dance with me. I can lead.”

Anahid had time enough to make one uncertain sound before the band struck up a waltz. She closed her mouth neatly as Lenci led, minding her feet with the difference in their height.

“Ana,” Lenci eventually said, “please tell me you at least _understand_ why I dragged you out here.”

“To…dance?” Anahid said, uncertain and anxious.

“Ana, for heaven’s,” Lenci started, but she stopped and sighed heavily. She stopped leading when the song ended, the two of them bowing to each other. Hands still together, Lenci looked at her with a twist in her mouth. She glanced at the band when they began to play a faster song, looking at Anahid in confusion. Anahid listened, went faintly red, and cleared her throat.

“It’s a lover’s jig,” she said. “Follow my lead this time, Lenci.”

Lenci nodded, watching as Anahid rearranged their hands, only loosely holding her left hand’s fingers. She stepped in time with the music, nothing overly complex and slowly enough that Lenci was able to match her steps without struggling. When Lenci danced, she matched her steps without hesitation. Each time she led, she kept her steps simple for Lenci to follow, and by the time the song came to an end she was blushing bright red.

“You didn’t ask me to dance just to dance,” she said.

“I didn’t,” Lenci said. Blushing as well, she said, “I like you, Ana.”

Anahid stared, jumped when the band struck up a new waltz, and moved to lead Lenci in the dance. After a moment, she said, “You—like me?”

“Yes, Ana,” Lenci said, biting down on a giggle. “Are you really that surprised?”

“Well,” Anahid said, starting to stammer, “you’re—pretty, and nice and—um—do you—really like me?”

“_Yes_, Ana!” Lenci laughed, glee in her smile. “Is it that hard to believe?”

Anahid made another vague noise before smiling at her, settling into looking pleased and dumbfounded at the same time. Lenci smiled, gladly following Anahid’s lead in the rest of the night’s dances. She was too weary to mind the grins on Maxsim and Henryk’s faces when they came off the dance floor, holding one of Anahid’s hands tight. She kept hold of her hand as they walked back to the academy in the cool night air, laughing when Maxsim and Henryk sang “good night” at them before heading to the men’s dorms.

“Ana,” she said, “I want to give you something.” She went to her room, letting go of Anahid’s hand at the door to fetch the book from her desk. When she turned about, Anahid was standing hesitantly in the doorway. “You can come into my room, you know.”

“All right,” Anahid said, stepping into the room and closing the door partway behind her. She looked at the book Lenci offered her with both brows raised. “Did you get this the other day when we were all out in the city?”

“I did. I thought you might like it, but I didn’t want to offend you by buying it for you like that.”

“Well, I’m not offended,” Anahid chuckled. “I appreciate the gift, Lenci. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” is what Lenci had meant to say. Her words short circuited in her head when Anahid leaned down and kissed her cheek. She caught hold of Anahid’s shirt before she could straighten up, quickly kissing her cheek in turn.

“Thank you for all the dances, Ana,” she said quietly.

“You’re welcome,” Anahid murmured, and she kissed her cheek once more before straightening up. She lingered in the doorway to say, “Sleep well, Lenci.”

“You too. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Smiling, Anahid did not bow as she stepped out of her room. She gave Lenci a small wave instead, and she closed the door gently behind her. Lenci, knowing full well that it would put at least a few wrinkles in her clothes, lay down on her bed, hid her face in her pillow, and giggled madly. It took a long while before she could stop and get up to change into her pajamas, and even then she had to muffle more giggles before she was able to fall asleep, looking at their shared wall.


	3. families, further found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A return of a found family; the visit of a new one.

Maxsim and Henryk arrived at the academy three days before the end of break, and they came bearing gifts in their overstuffed bags. Maxsim brought with him sweaters, each hand-knit by his two younger sisters, and Henryk brought along scarves, long and warm for the approaching fall.

“They were working on them the whole end of summer before I even came, so you better like them,” Maxsim said, looking at all of them expectantly. When they had tugged the sweaters on, all of them fitting perfectly, he laughed and clapped his hands together. “_Knew_ they’d get it right!”

“Did you describe us that much in your letters, Max?” Lenci said, laughing as she toyed with her sleeves.

“Kind of. They’ve got a weird talent for getting people’s sizes exactly right from just a few descriptions.” He pulled his own sweater on and pointed at the underside of his left wrist. “Now look at the little detail they added.”

They turned their arms over at once, and Lenci and Henryk burst into laughter on seeing a gold bear and a blue wolf stitched roughly on their sleeves.

“You told them our nicknames, too?” Anahid asked, fingers tracing the small black viper on her sleeve.

“Yep! They loved Henryk’s, they love dogs and wolves in general.” He watched how her smile was small, restrained, and he hummed before saying, “So what caught fire while we were away?”

“What?”

“You’ve got that miserable smile you get when something bad happened. What caught fire?”

“Oh.” She rubbed the back of her neck, looked down, and said, “My, uh…my mother found me.”

“You punched her in the mouth, right?”

She laughed once through her nose. “I panicked. The emperor and Lenci had to stand up for me.”

“Her majesty was there?” Henryk asked.

“Yeah. I got lucky.”

Maxsim hummed again as he thought, snapping his fingers soon after. “Let’s get some lunch. The dining hall should be serving food now.”

“Food fixes everything for you, doesn’t it,” Henryk chuckled.

“Tell me the world doesn’t look better on a stomach full of good food and I’ll call you a liar,” he replied. He put his hands gently on Anahid and Lenci’s backs, guiding them forward and out of Lenci’s room. “C’mon, I’m pretty hungry after that walk.”

“All right,” Anahid said quietly, letting Lenci take her hand as they headed for the dining hall. Lunch that day was shepherd’s pie, leaving all of them smiling with Lenci having a particularly blissful look on her face despite the small portions they’d taken.

“How were things at home for you?” Anahid asked, looking between Maxsim and Henryk. “Henryk, you took the sword the emperor gave you, right?”

“I did,” he said. “My parents were amazed at the quality. They had a plaque made to put it on display in the great room before I left.”

“Good,” said Maxsim. “That thing’s beautiful. Even my little brothers would be impressed.”

“How much trouble did they get into while you were home?” Lenci asked.

“_So_ much,” he laughed. “Climbing all over me, waking me up at dawn because they wanted me to take them places. It was still nice, though. They all really want to meet you guys. My little brothers _really_ want to meet you, Lenci.”

“Why me specifically?”

“I told them about all the magic you know and they got starry-eyed over it.”

“Max!” Lenci laughed. “Don’t make me sound better than I am!”

“Hey, all I told them was the magic you know. I didn’t tell them all the stuff you did at Garreg Mach.”

“My parents would love to meet you, Ana,” Henryk said. “When I mentioned how skilled you are with the sword, they were very impressed.”

“Goddess, my oldest little sister, too,” Maxsim said. “She wanted to hear all about the nonsense you get up to when I said you saved her majesty. I had to tell her you were taken when she started getting all blush-y.”

Anahid, eyes on her plate, smiled very slightly and said, “If I didn’t know you two so well, I’d swear you were lying to make me feel better.” Sighing, rubbing her face, she said, “Sorry. I’m trying not to dwell.”

“Would you prefer it if we didn’t talk about our families?” Henryk asked.

“No, I want to hear about them. It’s nice hearing you be happy. It really helps.”

“You three are coming along when I visit them over the year’s break,” Maxsim said. “We’ll have three whole months—we can go see Henryk’s parents, too.”

“Thank you, Max. I’d like that a lot.”

“Lenci, when do we get to meet your family?” Henryk asked.

“I don’t really know,” said Lenci. “Fódlan’s Fangs is a long way to make a trip by land, and it’s not the cheapest thing to sail there. Maybe they can come visit us some time.”

“That’d be nice,” Maxsim said. “I’d like to meet your hellish little brothers.”

“They’re not _that_ bad,” she chuckled. “They’re just…young.”

“So they’re brats.”

“That’s…fair to say.”

Maxsim laughed, went for a small second serving, and they headed back for the dorms when he was done. When they turned a corner to come into the courtyard between the men and women’s dorms, they saw two boys with shaggy, curly black hair running about playing at an impromptu sword duel with sticks, laughing as they ran and dodged.

“What’re kids doing here?” Maxsim said.

“_Erno_?” Lenci said, voice raised. “_Vilmos_?”

The boys slid to a stop, turning toward them. Glee instantly filled their faces, one boy charging straight for Lenci and the other turning and sprinting away. Lenci caught the boy as he grabbed her in a hug, her eyes widening as she smiled.

“Erno, what’re you two doing here?” she asked, laughing and kneeling down to face him.

“We came to visit ‘cause you couldn’t come home!” he said, hands fisted and triumph on his face. “Surprise!”

“Where’s Vilmos going?” Lenci asked. “Are Mother and Father here?”

“Yeah!” he said, pointing back. “They were going to go back to that office in front of the dorms to ask if you were somewhere else, so he’s getting them!” He looked up at the others, starting to bounce on his toes in excitement. “Are you Lenci’s friends?”

“We are,” Maxsim said, crouching to meet his gaze. “I’m Maxsim.”

“Hi!” He looked over his shoulder to check behind him, grinning because Vilmos was leading two people, a man and a woman, around the corner of the women’s dorm. The man was taller, his black hair and beard peppered with gray, and the woman was shorter and much softer with her curly black hair still pristine. They both smiled brightly at the sight of Lenci, and Lenci hurried to meet them halfway across the courtyard.

“Hello, sweetheart,” the woman said, wrapping her arms around Lenci.

“I can’t believe all of you came to visit!” Lenci laughed.

“We’ve missed you all term,” the man said, giving her another hug. “And when we got your last letter after everything you went through, we had to come see you and your classmates.” He looked over her head to the others, smiled, and beckoned them over. When they were near, he offered a hand to Maxsim and said, “Gellert von Tibor. I’m pleased to meet you.”

“Maxsim Stesha, sir,” Maxsim replied. He turned to take the woman’s hand when she offered it.

“I’m Mariska von Tibor,” she said. She offered her hand to Henryk, saying, “You’re Henryk von Marcin, correct?”

“Yes ma’am,” he replied. “It’s an honor to meet you.”

“Which means _you’re_ the infamous Anahid Vartan,” Mariska said, holding out her hand to Anahid. She waited patiently when Anahid hesitated, smiling all the while, and shook her hand gently.

“Do you really fight with an axe and wear armor?” Erno asked, pulling on Maxsim’s hand. “Isn’t that hard?”

“Nah, I’m strong,” Maxsim said, and he picked Erno up without a hint of strain. He set Erno on one shoulder when Vilmos pulled on his shirt, picking him up one handed to set on his other shoulder.

“You’re certainly as strong as Lenci’s written,” Gellert chuckled. He put a hand on Henryk’s shoulder and said, “And she wrote of how you protected them at the battle near Garreg Mach. You have our thanks, young man.”

“Lenci saved our lives a dozen times over, sir,” Henryk said. “Thank you for letting her come to the academy.”

Sheepishness crept into Gellert’s smile, and he said, “I admit I had my misgivings, but…Lenci has proven that this is her path in life. The commendations from Count Bergliez and their majesties made it crystal clear.”

“We’re proud of you, Lenci,” Mariska said, petting Lenci’s hair. “You’ve done very well.”

Lenci stared a moment, a blush rising on her face. Smiling, she said, “Thank you.”

“Now,” said Gellert, “as I understand it, my daughter has fallen for one of her classmates.”

“_Father_!” Lenci said, blush instantly going crimson and spreading all the way to her ears.

“Now, now, your mother said you had that kind of wistfulness in your letters,” he replied. “I’m not at all surprised that you found someone here and I’m certainly not telling you to give up on it, but I would like to speak to this young man.” He looked between Maxsim and Henryk, brow raised. “Which of you has charmed her?”

“Uh,” they said in unison.

“You, right?” Vilmos said, pushing on Maxsim’s head. “You’re tall.”

“_Uh_,” Maxsim said again.

“Gellert, boys,” Mariska said, “that’s enough.” She looked at Anahid and reached up to set her fingers under her chin. Smiling softly, she said, “It’s you, isn’t it.”

Anahid froze.

“Mariska?” Gellert said. “What are you saying?”

“Dear, if you’d read Lenci’s letters closely, you’d know that all her wistfulness was about the person she almost immediately started calling ‘Ana.’ Talking about how talented she was, how brave she was, and even saying she was pretty.” Looking at Lenci, she said, “You’ve never once called a man ‘handsome,’ sweetheart. You saying your Ana was pretty was very telling.”

Anahid and Lenci both went still, looking at each other. They slowly turned to look at Gellert, who looked back at them with raised brows and an open mouth. Because he saw anxiety in Lenci’s eyes, her tense shoulders, he closed his mouth, brought his brows down, and cleared his throat. He strode to Anahid, hands behind his back, and stopped next to Mariska.

“Anahid,” he said, and he hesitated to take a breath and consider his words. “Where do you hail from? I don’t think Lenci told us that.”

“From the Brionic Plateau, sir,” she said, straightening her spine without thinking. “About as far north as you can go without crossing onto kingdom territory.”

“I see. And…did you live anywhere near the sea?”

“No sir. I never had the time or money to go that far from home.”

“I see, I see.” He hummed, tapping his chin as uncertainty grew on his face. “Then…were you at least taught to swim?”

Anahid looked at him blankly. She nearly made a confused noise, but held her tongue and said, “I…was, sir. I lived near enough to a river that I needed to know.”

“Ah!” Gellert said. “Good! There won’t be any need to worry, then!”

“Father?” Lenci said, quiet with bafflement. “Worry about what?”

“About when she comes to visit us over the year’s break, of course!” Gellert said. He put a hand on Anahid’s shoulder and said, “We live quite close to the sea and it would be a waste if you couldn’t join Lenci for a swim!”

Anahid stared outright, unable to stop herself. She said, “I’m—you’re inviting me to visit?”

“Of course!” he said. “What kind of father would I be if I were to deny my daughter a visit from her lover?”

Lenci’s eyes widened slowly as her jaw went slack. She looked at Gellert, who looked back with a smile. Her laugh was shaky as she went to him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. Anahid smiled slightly as she looked at them, but it vanished immediately when Mariska pulled her into an embrace. She stood stiff as stone, even when Mariska gently patted her back.

“You’re more than welcome in our home, dear,” Mariska said. “We’d be glad to have you visit any time.”

Anahid stared into the middle distance. Hesitantly, so hesitantly, she put her arms around Mariska to embrace her. She swallowed slowly, a tiny smile starting to grow on her face. It grew when Gellert reached out to put an arm around her shoulders, and she laughed quietly when she saw Lenci’s massive, brilliant smile.

“Ah!” Gellert said, eyes wide as he startled with a thought. To Maxsim and Henryk, he said, “You two are more than welcome to visit, of course!”

“We’d be glad to, sir,” Henryk said with a smile.

“Wonderful! Now, why don’t we all head out into the city for lunch? Our treat, of course.”

“Sure!” Maxsim said before any of the others could protest. “We know some great places around the city!”

“Well, lead the way, then!” Gellert said. He kept his arm around Anahid’s shoulder when Mariska let her go, nodding at his wife. She nodded in turn, taking Lenci’s hand as Lenci started to follow Maxsim and Henryk away. The tension returned to Anahid at once, barely relieved by how Gellert gently patted one shoulder.

“It’s not what you’re thinking at all,” he said quietly, starting them forward. “I have no intention of trying to keep you from Lenci. But I wanted a bit of time to talk to you as her father.”

“All right,” Anahid said hesitantly.

“You’re not of a noble house, are you.” He felt her bristle and quickly said, “That’s not what I’m getting after. The truth is, you and I have that in common.”

“What?”

“I married up in life,” he said. “Did Lenci ever tell you that?”

“She said you work as a merchant to maintain your house’s coffers because your land holdings don’t bring in much.”

He chuckled. “She was rather direct about that.”

“Honestly, she only told me recently. We’ve been discussing things…um…more seriously. After coming back from Garreg Mach.”

“We were arranged, Mariska and I,” Gellert said. “I was up and coming as a merchant—her parents saw a lot of promise in me to keep the von Tibor name in high regard in the Fangs. But…well, I certainly loved her already. More than a commoner boy had any right to, according to the gossip around the city.”

Anahid hesitated. She looked down, brows knitting. “I’ve…had my fair share of it. Before we went to Garreg Mach, I—no one tries to hide it if they see me alone. The gossiping, I mean.” Her smile was bitter when she said, “Dirty little boot-licker commoner trying to rise above it all, thinking she can marry so high up.”

“I assume you fight for your honor.”

“I only fight for Lenci’s, if they start badmouthing her.” She chuckled once. “I have enough honor for myself knowing Lenci chose me. I don’t need to fight to protect that. But I won’t let them try to say she’s done something wrong.”

He chuckled in turn and said, “Then we have even more in common than I thought.” He patted her shoulder, saying, “Would you like to know my best trade secret as a merchant, Anahid?”

“Of course, sir.”

“I know how to read people far better than most can,” he said. “Everyone has little tells and habits that tell me what kind of person they are. And everything I’ve seen of you tells me that you’re forthright, unyielding, and—most importantly to me as her father—that you love Lenci dearly.”

“More than anything, sir,” Anahid said without hesitation.

“Thank you for it. For being the kind of woman she’s always needed.” He cleared his throat then, embarrassment and a blush rising in his face. “Now, I know it’s a bit early to say this and you don’t have to get used to it, but if you’d like to get into the habit of calling me ‘Father,’ you’re more than welcome to.”

Anahid stared at him, all her words dropping out of her mouth and falling down through her stomach. She swallowed, swallowed again, and managed to nod.

“And of course, Mariska would like it if you called her ‘Mother’ someday.”

“I’d like that,” Anahid whispered. “Thank you, sir. Father.”

“That-a-girl,” he said, smiling and ruffling her hair. They picked up speed to catch up with the others, soon finding a place to have a leisurely lunch and trade stories over it. The day was spent wandering Enbarr, showing Lenci’s family to shops before dinnertime arrived on the encroaching evening. They separated when night fell properly, Lenci’s family going to an inn and the students returning to the dorms.

Maxsim and Henryk said nothing of how Anahid followed Lenci directly to her room. Lenci, in turn, said nothing of how Anahid held her close in bed, how she tried and failed to hold down tears. She only whispered, “I love you,” again and again, knowing Anahid was smiling as she wept.


	4. rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well earned rest; a night to ask for something long wanted.

They all headed to the dining hall after the professor released them from their lecture. The hall was filling with students for lunch, but there was still space at a table for the four of them to sit together, Henryk and Maxsim on one side and Anahid and Lenci on the other. Anahid sat heaviest of them all, staring at the table in a pure daze. Lenci smiled at her, kissed her cheek, and went with Maxsim to get food for them all.

Anahid perked up very slightly when food arrived, eyes bright at the sight of pasta covered in red sauce and ground bits of meat. Laughing quietly, she said, “My favorite today.”

“Hang on,” Henryk said as she picked up a fork. When she looked at him blankly, he lifted his glass of water and looked at them all significantly. They lifted their glass in a toast Henryk led by saying, “To us. To what we’ve accomplished together.”

“To us,” they murmured, tapping their glasses together and taking a drink.

“I’ll buy us some whiskey for a better toast,” Anahid said, picking her fork up again. “Maybe tonight.”

“You are _sleeping_,” Lenci said. “We’re taking you straight to your room after this.”

Anahid looked at her, fork and food in her mouth, and made a faint noise of confusion.

“_Eat_, you idiot,” Maxsim said fondly, scooping up a massive forkful of food to cram it into his mouth. “We’re putting you to bed.”

She looked at him then. Looking down, chewing her food, she nodded with tiny hum of agreement. They all ate, Maxsim shoveling food in his mouth fast enough to go back for seconds. Lenci kept a hand on Anahid’s thigh as they ate, managing to keep her awake. Anahid finished first, leaning on her arms on the table. She started to nod off where she sat, only opening her eyes when Lenci touched her side.

“Hang on,” Lenci murmured. “We’re almost done.”

Anahid nodded, sitting up straighter to stay awake. She wobbled when they all stood, Maxsim reaching over to grip her upper arm to steady her. Henryk took the lead back to the dorms, all of them gently pushing Anahid along into her room. She needed no prompting to all but collapse, face first, on her bed and immediately fall asleep. None of them could even laugh at her, Lenci moving to sit on the bed next to her while Maxsim sat on her desk and Henryk sat in her chair.

“Y’know,” Maxsim said, “I really thought we were done for, Lenci. When you were healing my leg. And when Anahid took that lance for us.” He smiled and ruffled Henryk’s hair. “Double hero you are, helping save her majesty and then saving all our asses in the end.”

“Thank you, Henryk,” Lenci said. “We—we would’ve been lost without you.”

Henryk smiled wearily. “And you saved all of a dozen times over with your magic. If you hadn’t come here and been with us, we’d be dead. Plain and simple.”

Maxsim chuckled and gestured to Anahid. “And that absolute lunatic charging in to lead and cut a path for us just…saved my ass plenty.” He chuckled again, scratching the stubble on his chin. “I’m—I’m so glad it’s been us. Been us this whole time. Couldn’t have done it.” He put a hand over his eyes. “Couldn’t have gotten through.”

His breath hitched. “We really made it. All of us. I get to see Mom and Dad and my brothers and sisters again _because of you_.”

Lenci stood first, but Henryk met her in time to wrap their arms around Maxsim. He held them tight and cried quietly, gripping their shirts. It took a few minutes for hm to let go, but he laughed as he wiped his face dry.

“Crying like a little kid,” he said. “Thanks for that.”

“Thank you, Max,” Henryk said. “Thank you, Lenci.” He nodded back over his shoulder toward Anahid, saying, “Let’s let her sleep. But…Lenci, stay with her.”

“I planned on it,” said Lenci. She kissed their cheeks gently, and she went to close the door behind them after they’d gone. In the silence that followed, she turned to lean against the door. She watched Anahid sleep, biting down on a laugh when Anahid slowly and clumsily rolled onto her side without waking. With a space open beside her, Lenci went to crawl into bed with her and took her hand to hold.

Never had she seen such a peaceful look on Anahid’s face. Her hand was truly soft, limp in her sleep; it did not so much as twitch when Lenci laced their fingers together. Lenci swallowed slowly and moved closer.

“I love you,” she whispered. “I love you, Ana. So much.” She brought her hand close to kiss her fingers. Lips lingering against her fingers, she whispered, “I don’t ever want to let you go. Never ever. I couldn’t have lost you…I don’t know what I would’ve done.”

Her breath hitched; she bowed her head to Anahid’s hand. “_Ana_. I want to be with you. Please let me stay.”

“Lenci.”

She gasped faintly, looking up. Anahid’s eyes were open, blurry from sleep, and she pulled Lenci closer until there wasn’t so much as a centimeter between them. Lenci went still, holding her breath, as the heat of Anahid’s body surrounded her. She took a shuddering, startled breath when Anahid rolled her onto her back to lay atop her, Anahid’s hips between her legs and her breasts pushed up against Lenci’s.

“A-Ana?” she whispered.

“Is this what you want with me?” Anahid asked.

“A-_Ana_, you need to sleep, I can’t—”

“I’ll sleep. But is this what you want?” She tipped her head down to touch the softest kiss to Lenci’s neck. “Tell me.”

Lenci, hands closed to shaking fists in Anahid’s shirt, nodded against her shoulder.

“Then we’ll sleep,” Anahid murmured. “And I’ll come to your room tonight.”

“Yes,” Lenci whimpered. “Ana—Ana, _yes_.”

“Shh,” Anahid said, kissing her neck again. “Tonight. Sleep now.” She rolled them back onto their sides, holding Lenci close with a hand on the small of her back. “Tonight.”

“Tonight,” Lenci echoed, and she curled up against Anahid’s chest to sleep.

————

Dinners in the dining hall had grown less and less subdued as time passed after the festival, finally returning to its usual level of noise that evening. Maxsim ferried over a feast to their table, and they wound up letting other students sit with them when several of them came by to ask about their time away and in battle.

Maxsim and Henryk took charge in telling the stories, all aplomb and enrapturing to the other students. Anahid and Lenci gladly took the opportunity to eat leisurely, savoring meat skewers and stew and leaning against each other. They finished last of all the students, eating sweet buns made at Anahid’s request. Maxsim and Henryk bade them good night at the door of the dining hall as it closed for the night and sent them all on their way, heading off with quick, light, and cheery steps.

“Ana?” Lenci asked in a whisper as they started back toward the dorms. “Do—do you remember what we talked about? You were so tired and half asleep, I just want—” She went silent when Anahid pulled her off the walkway to secret her away in a dark corner. The heat of her hands was so very tangible from so close, bracketing her shoulders.

“Lenci,” Anahid murmured in her ear. “I wanted to ask you that before we left for Hresvelg and Garreg Mach.” She leaned closer still and kissed her neck. “I wanted a chance to ask on the march. When we were at the monastery.” She closed her teeth on Lenci’s shoulder, terribly delicate but still enough to make Lenci take a faint, short breath.

“Ana,” Lenci whispered.

“I want you. Can I have you?”

“_Yes_.”

“Then let’s get to your room before anyone sees.”

“O-okay.” She took Anahid’s hand and let her lead her back to the dorms. They slipped into her room, Anahid reaching back to lock the door without looking because Lenci had pulled her down for a kiss.

“Ana,” Lenci said between kisses, lips against Anahid’s because she could not bring herself to pull away. She moaned, barely more than an exhale, when Anahid pressed on her chin and made her open her mouth for the next kiss. The taste of her mouth made her dizzy; she clutched Anahid’s shoulders for balance.

Her balance was utterly ruined when Anahid turned them to walk her back against a wall. She stumbled, saved by Anahid catching her hips and keeping her up. For just a moment, Anahid hesitated, pulling away to breathe. Her hands moved lower, moved back, until she held Lenci’s backside in hand. She squeezed, kneaded, brought her fingers just enough to curve around Lenci’s inner thighs as best she could with her dress in the way.

Lenci did not speak, could not be bothered to think of words. She held tight to Anahid’s shirt and leaned in against her chest. There was little more she could do but try to keep her breathing even. She startled when Anahid pulled away, blinking several times, and went wide-eyed with horror when Anahid began to kneel down.

“Ana, _no_!” she said, catching her hands and pulling her back up. “Please don’t kneel! Not after what happened!”

“You healed—”

“I _know_, but—Ana, please don’t kneel to me. Please. I just—see you not getting up. In my dreams, I see it.” She clung to Anahid when she pulled her close, hands trembling.

“I won’t,” Anahid murmured. “Let’s lie down.”

Lenci nodded and followed Anahid’s lead to bed. They fumbled a moment, gesturing in unison for the other to lie down first. Anahid won out by gesturing again, and she put herself between Lenci and the door to keep her out of sight. They lay there, still and without touching. The next kiss was one from Anahid, one far softer but more searing than before. Lenci pulled her close, hands on her face, and Anahid held her there with a hand on the back of her head.

They breathed together between kisses, hot against cheeks, against lips. Gaze nervous, nearly timid, Lenci took Anahid’s lower lip between hers and sucked. The sound Anahid made, tremulous and faint, sent sparks through every inch of her body and being. She repaid the sound with her own hitched breath when Anahid reached down to pull the skirt of her dress up and lay her hand on her thigh.

“Ana—Ana, wait,” she said. “I don’t want to feel your gloves. Please?”

She hesitated. Swallowing slowly, she moved back enough to take off her gloves. Though she meant to put them out of the way, Lenci took them from her and threw them to the floor. Before she could look toward them, Lenci caught her face again and kept her where she was.

“I want your hands on me, Ana,” Lenci said. “I want to wake up seeing your hands.” She kissed her and against her lips whispered, “Don’t hide from me.”

She swallowed again and nodded. A question in her eyes, she brought her hands to Lenci’s hips. She began to pull her skirt up, curling her fingers one by one to hitch the skirt up inch by inch. Lenci nodded, putting her hands on Anahid’s shoulders to steady herself. She had to let go when Anahid pulled her dress up and off entirely.

Again they lay still, Anahid still dressed and Lenci only in her undershirt and small clothes. A tremor in her spine, Lenci started to cover herself with her arms. Anahid reached out quickly, catching her wrists and holding her arms away. No blush was on her face as her eyes roved up and down Lenci’s body. Hunger was all through her, eyes dark and mouth tight.

“_Ana_,” Lenci whimpered.

She moved with the speed Lenci knew so well. Her hands cupped Lenci’s breasts, rolling them, petting them, pinching her nipples through her undershirt. Lenci squirmed, whining and reaching to hold Anahid’s wrists to feel them flex. Sparks returning to her body, she barely noticed Anahid moving closer to bring her mouth close to her ear.

“You’re moving so much, Lenci,” Anahid murmured, and there was something deeply dark, blazing hot in her voice. Pinching Lenci’s nipples again, she said, “These are so hard. Little pebbles…so sensitive, aren’t they.”

She could only answer in a tiny, sharp whine, clinging to Anahid’s shirt in desperation. Her breath caught in her throat when Anahid pushed her undershirt up to expose her breasts. She struggled to swallow, reaching to put her hands on Anahid’s shoulders. Anahid took her backside in hand and pulled her up until her breasts were level with her face. Hands drifting up to rest on Lenci’s sides, she moved close to bury her face in her chest.

“Lenci,” Anahid said quietly, turning her head from side to side to kiss and nip at Lenci’s heavy breasts. She cupped them in her hands, bringing one to her mouth to take her nipple between her lips. She sucked, slow and gentle, and rolled her other nipple between thumb and forefinger. Lenci’s breath grew shaky; she gripped Anahid’s hair to try and find some balance.

“How wet are you?” Anahid asked.

“Really,” Lenci whispered. “I—Anahid, I want…I need you to touch me. _Please_.”

Anahid moved to lay her mouth on Lenci’s throat, putting one hand on the back of her neck to keep her still, keep her close. The other hand she trailed down Lenci’s front, over her soft stomach and down between her legs. Her small clothes were damp to the touch, the faintest sound audible when Anahid moved her fingers about. Unable to move with Anahid’s hand on her neck, Lenci reached out to cling to her shirt once more.

“An—Ana,” Lenci whimpered. She hid her face in Anahid’s shoulder, shaking from head to toe. “W—_wait_, hang—hang on.”

Anahid stopped, lifting her fingers from Lenci. “What’s wrong?”

“I—I can’t—I don’t think I can be…be quiet. If you keep touching me.” She wrapped her arms around Anahid and whispered, “But I don’t want to stop. I can’t take if it we stop.”

Anahid thought, half dazed with Lenci’s wetness cooling on her fingers. She thought further, and then rolled Lenci over to lay on her other side. Before Lenci could question her, she came up flush against her back and put a hand lightly over her mouth.

“Is this okay?” she whispered in Lenci’s ear.

Trembling, Lenci put one hand on Anahid’s and nodded. Her gasp when Anahid brought her hand back between her legs was muffled just enough. Though she squirmed, head turning to press against the pillow, Anahid kept her hand over her mouth. The heat of Lenci’s panting exhales against her scarred skin burned all coherence out of her mind. She lowered her head as she brought her fingers under Lenci’s small clothes, biting her shoulder in time with sliding a finger into her.

Lenci pressed Anahid’s hand down harder over her mouth to catch her startled, shaking moan. She closed her legs tight to hold Anahid’s hand against her, squeezing her finger without thinking. Her free hand closed tight in the sheets, knuckles going white. Anahid kept still for her, lost in the feel of every inch of her she touched.

“Lenci,” she murmured.

“A—_Ana_,” Lenci whined, “_ah_—oh, g-goddess, _please_—”

“When we find somewhere to live in the city,” Anahid said, turning her hand slightly to make Lenci open her legs again, “I’m keeping you in bed the first rest day we have.”

“Ana—” She bit her lip to further muffle a moan when Anahid pushed another finger into her, hand shaking in the sheets. “_Ana_!”

“I’m keeping you in bed,” Anahid said, voice dropping and growing dark as she began to move her fingers, “so I can learn _everything_. Every sound you make, how you look under me in daylight, how I can make you come hard enough to see stars.”

Her voice shook, grew soft as she said, “I want—I want you to—be mine. All mine, just…just for a little while.”

“_Ana_,” Lenci said, pulling her hand away enough to speak clearly. “Ana, I _am_ yours. More than anything. I—I love you so much, just—_take me_, please.”

Anahid swallowed hard. She considered her hand, stretched her fingers, and brought two of them to Lenci’s lips. She only had to press on her lower lip gently, briefly, before Lenci tentatively opened her mouth. When she slipped two fingers into Lenci’s mouth, Lenci closed her lips around them and pressed her tongue against them in welcome. Her moan reverberated in Anahid’s fingers, making her shudder and inhale sharply.

It struck something deep within Anahid, some switch flipping at the base of her spine. She began to thrust her fingers in hard and deep between Lenci’s legs, Lenci’s moans held against her tongue. Lenci had no time or even the ability to think to rock into the thrusts, wholly captured by Anahid’s fierce pace. She was pushed back into Anahid with each thrust, and she could barely keep her cries muffled when Anahid began to force her to meet her thrusts even harder by pushing her forward with her hips.

Lenci was overwhelmed in what seemed like an eternity of moments, coming hard enough that she shook from head to foot. She made a feeble attempt to catch her breath, but Anahid caught her as she started to come down and brought her back up methodically, as if testing calculations. Whimpering, holding tight to Anahid’s wrist, Lenci came again, gentler than before but seeing stars for it. Panting, she moved her hand to set her shaking fingers in the grooves between Anahid’s knuckles and guided Anahid’s hand away.

“One more,” Anahid whispered.

“Yes,” Lenci said in an exhale.

“On your back—I have to see you.”

“_Yes_.” She managed to roll on her back, Anahid’s fingers still deep inside her, and lay panting as Anahid sat up over her and pulled her small clothes off entirely. She bent her legs at Anahid’s guidance, blushing and looking away when Anahid spread them.

“No,” Anahid murmured. “Look. See me in you.”

She hesitated, but obeyed. The sight of Anahid’s fingers buried to the knuckle in her, thumb stroking the soaked curls between her legs, almost made her look away again. She looked up at Anahid instead, pressing her lips together until they shook.

“My hands are on you, Lenci,” Anahid whispered. “In you.” She pulled out and pushed in again. “You’re tight. _Wet_. All for me.”

Lenci clenched around her fingers, a jolt running through her at Anahid’s words. She clapped a hand down over her mouth when Anahid curled her fingers, barely able to hold down her cry. Despite the stinging blush on her face, she kept her legs spread for Anahid and looked down to watch her fingers disappear deep inside her and come back sticky and soaked.

“There are toys we can get,” Anahid said, almost sounding idle with thought. “I can wear them…and _fuck_ you. Would you like that?”

She nodded frantically, heat building steadily once more.

“I can be on top of you…all my weight on you to pin you and be _so deep_ in you. Or I could take you from behind so you can keep quiet with a pillow. Would you like that, Lenci?”

She nodded again, just frantic as before. She crept so close to the peak, legs shaking and toes curling.

“I’d fuck you so hard you couldn’t walk straight, Lenci,” Anahid murmured. “Would you like that?”

Anahid’s thumb brushed her clit and she was gone for a third time, seizing her and her voice as she came. Anahid finally let her down slowly, very gingerly taking her fingers out. They and Lenci parted with a sticky, wet sound that would have birthed a new blush on Lenci’s face has she not been so thoroughly spent.

“You’re such a mess,” Anahid said fondly. “All mine.”

“All yours,” Lenci whispered, and she pulled Anahid to her to hold tight as she quickly started to fall asleep.

“Love you,” Anahid murmured.

“Love you,” she echoed, and she was gone in seconds, Anahid smiling as she followed her into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh god Anahid turned out to be more of a top than I expected
> 
> (you can blame me working on the NSFW edeleth zine for getting this kind of mood in my head)

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on twitter at <https://twitter.com/shinjishazaki> for updates, tiny previews, and other things related to my writing, and even make requests for other drabbles for this collection!


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